Yanks tender contracts to 8, including Romine

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have tendered 2018 contracts to all 40 players on their 40-man roster in advance of Friday's 8 p.m. ET deadline. Catcher Austin Romine, who was arbitration-eligible for the second time, highlights the list.

Dellin Betances, Sonny Gray, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Tommy Kahnle, Chasen Shreve and Adam Warren were also eligible for arbitration. If any of those players had not been tendered a contract, they would have become free agents.

NEW YORK -- The Yankees have tendered 2018 contracts to all 40 players on their 40-man roster in advance of Friday's 8 p.m. ET deadline. Catcher Austin Romine, who was arbitration-eligible for the second time, highlights the list.

Dellin Betances, Sonny Gray, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Tommy Kahnle, Chasen Shreve and Adam Warren were also eligible for arbitration. If any of those players had not been tendered a contract, they would have become free agents.

Several reports had suggested that the 29-year-old Romine could be on the bubble as a non-tender possibility. He batted .218 (50-for-229) with two homers and 21 RBIs in 80 games for the Yankees this past season, making 58 starts behind the plate and four at first base.

The Yankees went 33-25 in his starts at catcher, and with former manager Joe Girardi prioritizing run prevention in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros, Romine caught Gray in the Yanks' 6-4 win.

The son of former big leaguer Kevin Romine and the brother of former Tigers infielder Andrew Romine, who was recently claimed by the Mariners, Austin Romine filled in nicely when Gary Sanchez missed most of April with a right biceps strain, including a career-high five-RBI performance on April 29 vs. Baltimore.

"It means a lot to me, because I can show what I'm worth to the team and help the guys out when I can," Romine said at the time. "I'm just trying to fill in and do my job. Things are going well right now, but all you want to do as a backup player who gets thrust into that kind of position is do well for the team and show them you belong, and to be a part of this."

The Yankees have three catchers on their 40-man roster, where Sanchez and Romine are joined by Kyle Higashioka.

The 27-year-old Higashioka went hitless in 18 big league at-bats this past season, and he was limited to just 21 Minor League games due to injury, but he batted .338 with nine homers in those contests.